Peterhead player leads Scots in Jones Cup Invitational

Patrick Reed (left), winner of the Jones Cup Invitational after a play-off, and (right) Philip McLean who did well to finish joint 11th at Sea Island, Georgia. Both images by Cal Carson Golf Agency. Click on them to enlarge.

Philip McLean finishes joint 11th in Georgia

Peterhead’s Philip McLean, the first-round leader with a 69 and joint fifth after 36 holes, eventually finished joint 11th in the world-class amateur field for the Jones Cup Invitational tournament over three rounds at Ocean Forest Golf Club, Sea Island, Georgia today (Sunday).
McLean, a member of the Paul Lawrie's Foundation-backed team, can be proud of the fact that he was the only player to break 70 over the par-72, windswept course of 7,321yd.
He had several highly-rated players from the R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings behind his final total of 12-over-par 228 with subsequent rounds of 81 and 78 after his brilliant opening effort which put him clear of the field.
The Buchan man finished only six shots behind the two players who met in a play-off for the title, won by American Patrick Reed who won the R&A Junior Open at Heswall four years ago.
Winner of the Leven Gold Medal and beaten in a play-off for the Scottish champion of champions title, also over the Fife links last year, North-east Alliance champion McLean has played for Scotland at youth international level but he has yet to win a full cap. It should certainly come this year.
Next best Scots were Stirling University student James White (Lundin) and Ross Kellett ( Colville Park ) on 234. White had ever-improving rounds of 81, 78 and 75. Kellett saved his best for last – a 73 after Friday-Saturday scores of 79 and 82.
The last of the four Scots was Steven McEwan (Caprington) with scores of 85, 82 and 78 for 245.
Scottish boys and men’s match-play champion David Law (Hazlehead) would have played in the event but for receiving a broken knuckle when assaulted in an Aberdeen city centre street back in November. The injury has been slow to heal. Law was a member of the Scottish Golf Union party who went to Florida first for training and practice and then on to Georgia but is still unable to hit shots.
The leading British finisher in the Jones Cup Invitational was English teenager Tom Lewis, winner of the British boys’ championship last year. He tied for eighth place on 227 – one shot ahead of McLean – with rounds of 75, 76 and 76.
American Patrick Reed, a sophomore student at Augusta State University (he was originally a student at the University of Georgia), was the winner of the prestigious title, beating Frenchman Victor Dubuisson from Mougins, at the first hole of a sudden-death play-off.
They had tied on 222, Reed with rounds of 72, 76 and 74, Dubuisson with scores of 78 70 and 74.

With five holes left of regulation play, Dubuisson led the field by three shots before bogeys at 15, 17 and 18 brought him back to the field.

Reed meanwhile remained steady, parring the last six holes to get into the play-off with Dubuisson. Reed parred the first play-off hole to win the championship. Two years ago, he was beaten by New Zealander Danny Lee in the semi-finals of the US amateur championship. Lee went on to win the title.
University of Auburn sophomore Blayne Barber, the leader after 36 holes, finished the final day with a 76, leaving him at a total of 223 in third place. Reigning US amateur champion Byeong-Hun An finished fourth.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72) 7,321yd
Players from US unless stated
222 Victor Dubuisson(Fra) 78 70 74, Patrick Reed 72 76 74 (Reed won sudden-death play-off at first hole).
223 Blayne Barber 73 74 76.
224 Byeong-Hun An 75 78 71.
225 Bobby Wyatt 75 76 74.
226 Nathan Smith 75 78 73, Matt Nagy 71 81 74.
227 Brinson Paolini 76 75 76, Harris English 75 77 75, Tom Lewis (Eng) 75 76 76.
228 Philip McLean (Sco) 69 81 78, Henrik Norlander 72 80 76, Hunter Hamrick 73 75 79..
229 Kyle Kopsok 78 78 73, Alexander Knappe 76 79 74,
230 Brad Benjamin 79 77 74, Romain Wattel (Fra) 71 80 79, John Hahn 76 76 78, Zach Barlow 80 72 78.
231 Dustin Garza 79 78 74, Mike McCoy 79 77 75, John Murphy 81 74 76, Bud Cauley 74 76 81, Adam Long 78 74 79, .
232 Patrick Rada 81 75 76, Jeff Knox 79 75 78, Scott Langley 83 73 76, Kevin Marsh 76 70 80, Cory Whitsett 76 79 77.
233 Bank Vongvanij 77 80 76, Patrick Cantlay 77 78 78, David Holmes 77 78 78, Bryden MacPherson 75 80 78, Anthony Paolucci 76 78 79, Stiggy Hodgson (Eng) 83 70 80, Nuno Henriques 80 73 80.
234 James White (Sco) 81 78 75, James Frazer (Wal) 77 81 76, Sean Dale 82 77 75, Ross Kellett (Sco) 79 82 73 (36-37), Sean Dale 82 77 75,
235 Zack Fischer 78 78 79, Tripp Davis 77 80 78, Stephan Jaeger 80 77 78, Chesson Hadley 80 74 81, Matt Hill 78 75 82, Stephan Jaeger 80 77 78, Michael Morrison 79 76 80, James Robinson (Eng) 77 84 74.
236 Brendan Gielow 81 80 75, Darren Renwick (Eng) 79 74 83, Chan Kim 86 80 70.
237 Jamie Abbott (Eng) 77 82 78, Tommy Mou 77 81 79, Brad Revell 78 81 78, Drew Kittleson 76 81 80, Kevin Phelan 84 78 75.
239 Billy Hemstock (Eng) 79 81 79, Chris Paisley (Eng) 77 81 81, Oliver Schneiderjans 82 75 82, George Bryan 72 82 85, T J Mitchell 91 76 72.
241 Oliver Farr (Wal) 82 80 79, Alex Martin 76 86 79.
242 Joe Vickery (Wal) 83 80 79, Ben Kohles 79 85 78.
243 Julian Suri 86 78 79.
244 Robert Gerwiu 83 77 84, Russell Henley 77 87 80, Allen John 84 85 75.
245 Corey Nagy 80 82 83, Kevin O’Connell 81 81 83, Steven McEwan (Sco) 85 82 78 (37-41).
246 Gator Todd 82 84 80.
248 Robin Wingardh 84 82 82.
249 Mitch Krywulycz 83 79 87.
251 Matt Broome 83 83 85, Scott McAlpine 80 92 79.
252 Wesley Bryan 78 89 85.
253 Sebastian Kannler 88 80 85.
254 Michael barbosa 89 84 81.
287 Tanner Smith 89 106 92.
Withdrew: Gene Elliott, Randy Haag, Dodge Kemmer.

Northern Trust Open at Riviera, California

Steve Stricker leads by six with 18 holes to play

Steve Stricker completed a third-round, five-under-par 66 early this morning to lead by six shots going into the final round later today of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club, Palisades, California.
==============
Leaderboard
==============
Stricker faced a 30ft birdie putt on the 15th hole when play was stopped by darkness on Saturday. He returned to make the putt in chilly temperatures, then hit a seven-iron to 4 feet on the par-3 16th hole for another birdie.
His streak of 32 holes without a bogey at Riviera ended on the 18th when he missed the green to the left and chipped to 12 feet, two-putting for a bogey.
With one round to play, Stricker was at 15-under 198, six ahead of Andres Romero (70), Luke Donald (66) and J.B. Holmes (67).
The Northern Trust Open is the final event to qualify for the Match Play Championship, which is contested by the leading 64 players in the world rankings. Several players -- Ben Curtis, Chad Campbell and Scott Verplank among them -- are walking the tightrope.
THIRD ROUND COMPLETED
Par 213 (3x71)
198 Steve Stricker 67 65 66
204 J.B. Holmes 68 69 67, Andres Romero (Arg) 65 69 70, Luke Donald (Eng) 68 70 66
205 Dustin Johnson 64 67 74, Kevin Stadler 65 71 69, George McNeill 70 69 66
206 Ricky Barnes 66 71 69, Anthony Kim 71 66 69, Steve Marino 70 67 69, Alex Prugh 71 69 66
207 Scott Verplank 68 74 65, Brandt Snedeker 66 72 69, Tim Wilkinson (Nzl) 69 67 71
208 Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn) 68 68 72, Ernie Els (Rsa) 68 70 70, Kevin Sutherland 69 71 68
209 Charley Hoffman 68 71 70, Stewart Cink 71 71 67, Phil Mickelson 72 66 71, Charlie Wi (Kor) 72 68 69, John Rollins 71 71 67, Justin Rose (Eng) 69 67 73, Paul Goydos 69 72 68, Jim Furyk 71 70 68, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 73 68 68, Bo Van Pelt 70 70 69, Y.E. Yang (Kor) 71 70 68
210 Brian Davis (Eng) 72 70 68, Kevin Na 72 67 71, Michael Allen 69 70 71, John Merrick 70 72 68, Bryce Molder 71 68 71
211 Michael Letzig 71 72 68, D.A. Points 69 72 70, Robert Allenby (Aus) 72 69 70, Rich Beem 74 69 68, Briny Baird 70 72 69, Troy Matteson 68 69 74, Brenden Pappas (Rsa) 71 68 72, Jason Bohn 69 75 67
212 Jeff Overton 70 71 71, Marc Leishman (Aus) 71 71 70, Matt Kuchar 69 71 72, Tim Clark (Rsa) 69 72 71, Webb Simpson 70 73 69
213 Chad Campbell 70 72 71, Rodney Pampling (Aus) 70 70 73, Martin Laird (Sco) 72 72 69, Woody Austin 71 72 70, Jonathan Byrd 68 74 71, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 71 71 71, Fred Couples 69 72 72
214 Aaron Baddeley (Aus) 72 72 70, J J Henry 70 73 71, K J Choi (Kor) 71 72 71, Greg Chalmers (Aus) 71 73 70, Jimmy Walker 71 72 71
215 Justin Leonard 71 73 71, Vaughn Taylor 73 70 72, Brett Quigley 70 73 72, Roland Thatcher 68 73 74, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 71 73 71, D.J. Trahan 72 71 72
216 Steve Flesch 73 70 73, Ben Curtis 73 68 75, Matt Bettencourt 70 74 72, Parker McLachlin 71 73 72, Mark Wilson 72 72 72, Kevin Streelman 69 73 74, Craig Bowden 69 74 73, Nicholas Thompson 69 73 74
217 Bob Estes 72 72 73, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 69 74 74
218 Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 68 74 76
219 Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 68 74 77, Bill Lunde 72 72 75, David Duval 68 75 76, Ryan Moore 70 74 75
220 Richard S Johnson (Swe) 74 70 76, Cameron Beckman 67 77 76

Tiger Woods reunited with his family .... see www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Miguel Angel Jimenez, at 46, the oldest winner of a European Tour event since Mark O'Meara six years ago.

Jimenez beats Westwood in Dubai play-off

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Miguel Angel Jiménez from Malaga became the oldest winner on The European Tour for six years with a play-off victory over Lee Westwood at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic today.
The flamboyant Spaniard, who has won nine of his 16 European Tour titles after his 40th birthday, carded a level par 72 to tie with Westwood and hold off the challenge of Thongchai Jaidee.
At 46 years and 33 days old, Jiménez becomes the oldest winner on The European Tour since Mark O’Meara, who won this event six years ago at 47 years and 54 days. He is the eighth oldest winner on the Tour.
Jiménez beat Westwood at the third play-off hole, following a thrilling see-saw final day at Emirates Golf Club.
European No 1 Westwood birdied the last hole in regulation to card a final round level par 72 to join Jiménez at 11 under par 277.
Jiménez, who began the day sharing a one-shot lead with Westwood, Alvaro Quiros and Thongchai Jaidee, missed a 10ft birdie chance at the 72nd hole to card his own final round of 72.
Westwood missed potential championship-winning putts at the first two extra holes, while on both occasions Jiménez had to fight to stay in contention - with a 12ft par putt the second time around keeping his title hopes alive.
After switching to the par-4 ninth after two trips up the 18th, Jiménez holed out from four feet to claim his 19th professional title and first since the 2008 BMW PGA Championship, after Westwood had missed his 6ft par putt.
"I feel so proud to win this trophy. I like the golf course, I like the ambience and I like the people and I am very happy," said Ryder Cup player Jimenez, who has previously finished runner-up twice in this event.
"I made a very good putt on the second hole of the play-off on the 18th that kept me going. Then I had a putt to win. My last win was in 2008 in the PGA and it proves the old guys like me can win."
Asian No 1 Jaidee carded a one over par 73 final round to finish third, a shot behind Jimenez and Westwood. It should have been a three-way play-off as the Thai missed a 2ft birdie putt at the last.
Abu Dhabi champion Martin Kaymer (70) and Challenge Tour No 1 Edoardo Molinari (71) finished fourth at nine under par, with Rory McIlroy and Alvaro Quiros a further shot adrift.
McIlroy produced a valiant defence of his maiden title but could only manage a closing 73, while Quiros needed to eagle at the last to earn a play-off but found the water and carded a final round 75.
Grégory Bourdy (68), 2007 champion Henrik Stenson (68) and 60 year old eight-time Major winner Tom Watson (68) completed the top ten at six under par.
After Westwood had briefly held a two shot lead midway through the front nine before shipping a double bogey, Jiménez and Quiros both moved one clear on the back nine.
But after back-to-back bogeys halted Quiros' challenge, Jiménez added a second birdie of the day at the 17th to set the clubhouse target of 11-under-par 277.
Needing a birdie at the last, Westwood aggressively drove the final green to set up his crucial fourth gain of the day after seeing a birdie chance lip out two holes earlier.
At the first play-off hole after driving the green over a lake, Westwood saw a curling ten foot birdie putt for the title stop on the edge of the cup, while Jiménez battled to save his par after his approach came within an inch of dropping into the water at the front of the green.
Jiménez again looked out of the hunt on the second play-off hole after an uncharacteristic wayward tee shot before hitting his third shot into the back bunker.
But with Westwood within inches after leaving an 18 foot putt for the title just short having again set himself up with another aggressive second shot approach into the par-5, Jiménez held his nerve to hole a 12ft par putt.
The play-off switched to the par four ninth and despite finding rough off the tee, and like Westwood failing to find the green in two, Jiménez converted his up and down to deny the Englishman claiming a win which would have lifted him to third in the world.
SCOTSWATCH: Stephen Gallacher and David Drysdale tied for the "honour" of finishing the leading Scot. They both totalled one-under-par 287 and earned 14,054 Euros apiece. Drysdale had a closing 69 while Gallacher a disappointing 76. It's amazing to think that if Gallacher had repeated his very good Saturday round of 67 - his lowest on the European Tour for some time - on Sunday he would have finished on 278, one shot outside the play-off! If Gallacher can take that kind of positive feeling from the tournament, he will prosper again in 2010.
Dunfermline-born, Dubai-based Ross Bain, the third and last Scot to make the halfway, finished on 290 with a 74, his worst round of the four. His pay cheque was for 7,294 Euros.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288(4x72) Prizemoney in Euros.
277 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 70 67 68 72, Lee Westwood 72 65 68 72 (Jimenez won play-off at third extra hole). Jimenez 296,500; Westwood 197,664
278 Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 70 66 69 73 (111,367)

279 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 71 70 68 70, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 68 70 70 71 (82,191 each).
280 Rory McIlroy 68 70 69 73, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 69 69 67 75 (57,818 each)
282 Tom Watson (USA) 73 70 71 68, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 74 70 70 68, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 76 69 69 68 (39,968 each).
283 Ross Fisher 70 72 70 71, Paul Casey 69 71 70 73, David Horsey 71 73 70 69, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 70 68 70 75
284 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 68 72 70 74, Christian Nilsson (Swe) 70 71 69 74, Oliver Wilson 72 74 67 71, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 71 73 69 71, Richard Green (Aus) 69 74 71 70
285 Robert Rock 70 74 69 72, Chris Wood 72 74 68 71, Graeme McDowell 72 68 70 75, Paul Waring 74 72 67 72, Gareth Maybin 73 68 72 72, Soren Hansen (Den) 71 72 73 69, David Lynn 72 71 70 72
286 Peter Hanson (Swe) 73 69 70 74, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 71 75 73 67, Alexander Noren (Swe) 68 74 69 75, Darren Clarke 71 70 72 73
287 Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 71 74 70 72, Richard Bland 74 67 74 72, David Drysdale 72 74 72 69, Stephen Gallacher 73 71 67 76, Anders Hansen (Den) 69 73 70 75, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 74 70 71 72, Matteo Manassero (Ita) (am) 69 72 71 75
288 James Kingston (Rsa) 75 67 71 75, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 68 70 76 74, Marcel Siem (Ger) 71 70 75 72, Nick Dougherty 72 74 73 69, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 71 72 72 73, Kenneth Ferrie 74 72 71 71
289 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 70 71 76 72, Seung-yul Noh (Kor) 72 74 69 74, Damien McGrane 73 73 71 72, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 74 72 68 75, Tano Goya (Arg) 73 72 70 74, Mark Foster 74 72 71 72, Pablo Martin (Spa) 71 73 73 72
290 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 74 71 71 74, Stephen Dodd 68 69 76 77, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 74 71 71 74, Ross Bain 72 71 73 74, Bradley Dredge 72 71 74 73
291 Brett Rumford (Aus) 73 73 72 73, John Bickerton 73 70 76 72, Simon Dyson 71 74 75 71, Thomas Levet (Fra) 73 73 74 71
292 Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 74 70 73 75, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 73 71 70 78, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind) 77 69 70 76, Johan Edfors (Swe) 72 71 70 79, Paul Broadhurst 72 72 71 77
294 Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 75 68 72 79
295 Erik Compton (USA) 73 73 76 73
299 Hennie Otto (Rsa) 76 67 77 79

Herman beats Kirk in Moonah Classic play-off

American Jim Herman has won the co-sanctioned Moonah Classic golf tournament, defeating compatriot Chris Kirk with a birdie on the first play-off hole.
The pair had finished tied at 11 under the card after 72 holes at the Moonah Links course at Fingal on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula in Australia.
Both Herman, who shot a course-record 62 in the first round, and Kirk produced rounds of 70 today.
American Robert Gates, last week's New Zealand Open winner, finished third at 10-under after a 66 while Victorian Jarrod Lyle shot 68 and tied fourth, a further shot back, with American Tag Ridings, 67.
The event was jointly sanctioned by the Australasian and Nationwide Tours.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
277 Jim Herman 62 70 75 70, Chris Kirk 70 72 65 70 (Herman won play-off at first hole).
278 Robert Gates 71 72 69 66
279 Jarrod Lyle 68 71 72 68, Tag Ridings 70 71 71 67
280 Manuel Villegas (Col) 71 72 70 67
281 Andrew Dodt 69 74 68 70
282 Jeff Brehaut 70 71 73 68, Martin Piller 71 71 72 68
283 Steve Allan 69 76 71 67, Michael Hendry (Nzl) 72 73 72 66, Steven Jones 68 67 77 71, Trevor Murphy 69 72 75 67, Jin Park (Kor) 69 75 72 67
284 Anthony Brown 70 71 71 72, David Hearn (Can) 68 76 74 66, Doug LaBelle II 69 69 74 72, Scott Laycock 69 72 71 72, Alistair Presnell 71 70 70 73, Scott Stallings 71 70 72 71
285 Joe Affrunti 70 72 70 73, Keegan Bradley 71 73 73 68, Andrew Buckle 69 68 75 73, James Hahn 69 72 74 70, Bradley Iles (Nzl) 68 74 72 71, Jon Mills (Can) 68 70 75 72, Gareth Paddison (Nzl) 68 71 74 72, Craig Parry 73 70 72 70, Craig Scott 70 69 76 70, Phil Tataurangi (Nzl) 71 71 70 73, Aaron Watkins 71 74 74 66
286 Fabian Gomez (Arg) 69 68 75 74, Scott Gutschewski 69 71 71 75, Mark Hensby 70 74 73 69, Stephen Leaney 70 73 71 72, Matthew Millar 70 71 74 71, David Smail (Nzl) 69 75 73 69, Andre Stolz 66 72 74 74
287 Mitchell Brown 69 70 77 71, Skip Kendall 70 70 74 73
288 Kevin Kisner 72 73 75 68, Peter Tomasulo 71 73 76 68, Aaron Townsend 68 71 78 71
289 D.J. Brigman 71 73 77 68, Jim Carter 67 76 74 72, Peter Lonard 71 73 73 72, Andrew Martin 71 72 74 72, Leigh McKechnie 71 72 72 74, Stephen Poole 70 72 72 75, Hamish Robertson (Nzl) 71 72 73 73
290 Jess Daley 72 70 76 72, Ken Duke 70 75 72 73
291 Ryan Armour 68 72 82 69, Steven Bowditch 70 68 81 72, Jeff Gallagher 69 73 79 70, Paul Sheehan 67 74 77 73, Tim Wood 70 73 75 73
292 Stephen Dartnall 74 71 68 79, Chris Gaunt 71 73 78 70, Kelly Grunewald 69 76 78 69, Gary Simpson 68 76 77 71, Darron Stiles 68 74 79 71, Anthony Summers 72 72 74 74
293 Scott Brown 76 69 77 71, Chris Campbell 72 73 76 72, Stephen Collins 72 73 75 73, Luke Hickmott 71 71 75 76, Bob May 72 73 76 72, Peter Wilson 70 73 76 74
294 Adam Bland 72 73 82 67, Adam Crawford 70 75 75 74, Matthew Griffin 71 73 74 76
295 Martin Doyle 72 73 76 74
296 Bobby MacWhinnie 67 78 78 73
300 Ted Brown (Can) 70 75 79 76

BRILLIANT BHULLAR FIRES SUPERB 64

TO WIN ASIAN TOUR INTERNATIONAL

India ’s Gaganjeet Bhullar produced a brilliant course record eight-under-par 64 to win the season-open ing Asian Tour International by one shotwith a total of 11-under-par 277 today.
Starting the final round six strokes back, Bhullar reinforced his growing reputation as one of Asia ’s brightest prospects with a superb come-from-behind victory, the second of his career, at the Suwan Golf and Country Club, Bangkok in Thailand
The 21-year-old Indian sank an eagle putt and achieved six birdies for an unblemished card and edged out Korea ’s Hwang Inn-choon, who signed for a 69 for second place on 278 in the US$300,000 event.
Japan ’s Tetsuji Hiratsuka, runner-up last year, took third place with a 68 while overnight leader Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand carded a disappointing 73 to finish tied fourth with Jbe Kruger of South Africa , three behind the winner.
“It’s amazing. I have no words to describe it, I’m totally speechless. When I woke up this morning, I just wanted to shoot a good number. I never ever thought I was going to shoot a 64 and win by one. It’s like a dream coming true. My first event of the year and winning at the start of the season will give me a lot of confidence,” said Bhullar, who pocketed US$47,550.
Bhullar’s title charge was sparked by an eagle at the par five second hole when an eight iron approach stopped three feet of the flag. He nailed four more birdies to turn in 30 and added two more birdies on 15, for the outright lead, and 18 to clinch a memorable triumph with his winning total of 11-under-par 277.
Hwang, who was also chasing his second Asian Tour win, was in the hunt down the straight after overcoming a double bogey on 11 with birdies on 14 and 15. But an errant drive into the hazard on 17 for bogey left him with the tall order of having to eagle the par five last hole to force a play-off which he could only birdie.
Bhullar said: “After 15 where I made a good curling putt, I told myself to make par on 16 and 17 and make birdie on 18. Everything happen ed the way I decided. On 18, it was amazing. I told myself that the putt was to win the tournament.
“It was a crucial one as I had missed the same putt last the two days from the nearly same line. I had a bit of an idea that it would come from the right. I just got lucky. I’m sure my confidence will go up a long way. I’m looking forward to next week (Avantha Masters). It’s a big event and I love the DLF course as I’ve won there twice (on the local circuit). Going back to play in front of the home crowd will give me a great sense of achievement.”
Hwang turned in 33 to lead the field by one but rued costly mistakes on 11 and 17. “I don’t know what hap pen ed with those dropped shots. I kept finding the hazard. On 11, I tried to hook my ball around the tree but it went straight into the water and then the same thing again on 17 when I hooked my drive into the water,” said the Korean.
“I knew I needed an eagle to force a play-off at the last and I hit a good utility wood into the green but had a really tough and long putt. There was no pressure at all and I guess 64 was a really good score by Gaganjeet,” said Hwang.
The burly Kiradech, who had held at least a share of the lead from the opening round, cut a forlorn figure after staggering home with two birdies, one bogey and one double bogey as his hopes of a maiden title vanished.
“I played some good golf and hit many good shots. I made some good putts but kept missing the lines. My caddie and I couldn’t read some lines. On the 16th hole, I was thinking of attacking the pin which was in a difficult location. We were coming down the last few holes and I wanted to do the something. Finishing third, fourth or fifth is the same as my goal was to win the tournament,” said the 20-year-old Kiradech.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
277 Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) 71 71 71 64
278 Hwang Inn-Choon (Kor) 72 70 67 69
279 Tetsuji Hiratsuka (Jpn) 71 72 68 68
280 Jbe Kruger (Rsa) 70 72 69 69, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha) 68 70 69 73
282 Ted Oh (Kor) 76 70 71 65, Lin Wen-Hong (Tpe) 71 74 70 67, Piya Swangarunporn (Tha) 70 72 69 71
283 Lucas Lee (Bra) 68 74 72 69, Antonio Lascuna (Phi) 70 72 71 70, Kenichi Kuboya (Jpn) 73 69 71 70, David Johnson (USA) 71 70 69 73
284 Varut Chomchalam (Tha) 73 72 72 67, Pariya Junhasavasdikul (Tha) 72 72 71 69, Lam Chih Bing (Sin) 69 70 71 74
285 Sattaya Supupramai (Tha) 73 73 71 68, Mars Pucay (Phi) 69 69 76 71, Thammanoon Srirot (Tha) 72 69 72 72, Hideto Tanihara (Jpn) 69 73 72 71, Angelo Que (Phi) 74 67 70 74
286 Lee Sung (Kor) 73 71 72 70, Boonchu Ruangkit (Tha) 72 74 71 69, Wisut Artjanawat (Tha) 72 69 74 71, Toni Karjalainen (Fin) 73 72 70 71, Chan Yih-Shin (Tpe) 72 72 70 72
287 Darren Beck (Aus) 72 72 74 69, Kim Hyung-Tae (Kor) 70 73 73 71, Daisuke Maruyama (Jpn) 73 72 71 71, Siddikur (Ban) 70 74 69 74
288 Lu Wei-Chih (Tpe) 72 73 74 69, Han Seung-Su (Kor) 70 74 75 69, Takao Nogami (Jpn) 73 71 72 72
289 Chaipat Darapanich (Tha) 72 74 74 69, Simon Griffiths (Eng) 73 72 73 71, Pornsakon Tipsanit (Tha) 76 68 73 72, Guido Van Der Valk (Ned) 73 73 71 72, Hiroshi Iwata (Jpn) 73 73 71 72, Scott Barr (Aus) 72 74 70 73
290 Kwanchai Tannin (Tha) 71 72 78 69, Quincy Quek (Sin) 69 73 77 71, Shigemasa Higaki (Jpn) 72 73 75 70, Peter Karmis (Rsa) 73 71 73 73, Jason Knutzon (USA) 68 75 73 74, Kim Dae-Hyun (Kor) 69 73 73 75, S. Sivachandran (Mas) 72 72 72 74
291 Rohan Blizard (Aus) 69 74 77 71, Michio Matsumura (Jpn) 73 73 75 70, Alexandre Rocha (Bra) 71 74 75 71, Ben Leong (Mas) 70 72 75 74, Ben Fox (USA) 70 75 72 74
292 Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha) 72 73 75 72
293 Yeh Chang-Ting (Tpe) 75 71 71 76
294 Panuwat Muenlek (Tha) 73 72 71 78, James Kamte (Rsa) 73 73 69 79
295 Nakul Vichitryuthasastr (Tha) 73 72 80 70, Simon Dunn (Sco) 72 74 71 78
296 Sean Shahi (USA) 72 73 79 72, Yang Ji-Ho (Kor) 74 70 73 79, Somchai Pongpaew (Tha) 72 72 72 80
297 Jason King (Aus) 72 73 78 74, Peter Cooke (Aus) 71 73 79 74, Richard Karlberg (Swe) 69 77 80 71, Tatsuya Sato (Jpn) 73 70 77 77, Hirohito Koizumi (Jpn) 72 74 72 79
299 Tatsuhiko Ichihara (Jpn) 70 73 78 78, Taichiro Kiyota (Jpn) 71 74 75 79
300 Atiwit Janewattananond (Tha) 69 73 81 77
301 Pavit Tangkamolprasert (Tha) 73 71 74 83
302 Martin Rominger (Swi) 74 72 77 79
For further information, visit http://www.asiantour.com/

Luke Donald leads chase in Northern Trust Open

Stricker five strokes clear when play suspended

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Luke Donald was tied for second place in the chase as Steve Stricker threatened to run away with the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club in California on Saturday.
Stricker, the runner-up behind Phil Mickelson 12 months ago at Pacific Palisades, had a five-shot lead over the field when play was suspended for the second day in a row due to darkness after another rainy day near Los Angeles.
Stricker, the world no 4, was four under par for the day and 14 under for the tournament after playing 14 holes of his third round before time was called on a day that had begun with 41 players still playing their second rounds.
England's Ryder Cup stalwart Donald was one of the late finishers returning to a par-71 course that had seen three inches of rainfall overnight on Friday. He completed a one-under-par second round of 70 to get to four under and turned straight around to move to nine under after 18 bogey-free holes and a five-under third-round 66.
That put Donald, bidding for a first victory since the 2006 Honda Classic, in a tie for second with Andres Romero of Argentina, who had played 14 holes bogey-free but with just one birdie, and American J B Holmes, who carded a five-birdie, one-bogey 67.
Dustin Johnson, the 36-hole leader, was eight under after 14 holes, three over for his third round with four holes to play. Also on eight under were his fellow Americans George McNeill (66), and Kevin Stadler, who had played 15 holes.
US Ryder Cup star Anthony Kim had been going well at nine under until back-to-back bogeys at the 15th and 16th left him at seven under with one to play. Englishman Justin Rose had got into contention with a second-round 67 that got him to six under but the Ryder Cup man was unable to make further progress and was one over for his third round after 15 holes.
Mickelson, bidding for a third title in a row at Riviera, was another unable to keep pace with the leaders as he carded a level-par 71 to hold steady at four under for the tournament, with England's Brian Davis on three under having completed a 68.
Glasgow's Martin Laird had resumed his second round in the morning, with a late birdie taking him to two over to hold on for a second 72 in succession and make the cut on the limit mark of 144.
The Scot's third round saw him open with a double bogey at the par-three 10th before recovering to one under for the day to get to one over par after 16 holes - thanks in part to an eagle 3 at the first hole, his 10th.
Padraig Harrington, however, was left to rue a bogey on his penultimate hole early on Saturday morning as he missed the halfway cut by a stroke. Ireland's three-time major winner was two over overnight with two to play in his second round, but dropped the crucial shot upon the resumption.
LEADING COMPLETED THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
204 (-9) Luke Donald (England) 68 70 66, J B Holmes 68 69 67.
205 (-8) George McNeill 70 69 66.
206 (-7) Alex Prugh 71 6966, Steve Marino 70 67 69.
207 (-6) Scott Verplank 68 74 65, Brandt Snedeker 66 72 69.
Selected totals:
208 (-5) Ernie Els (South Africa) 68 70 70.
209 (-4) Phil Mickelson 72 66 71.
210 (-3) Brian Davis (England) 72 70 68.
LEADERS STILL TO COMPLETE THIRD ROUNDS
-14 after 14 Steve Stricker (67 65).
-9 after 14 Andres Romero (65 69).
-8 after 15 Kevin Stadler (65 71).
-8 after 14 Dustin Johnson (64 67).
-7 after 17 Anthony Kim (71 66).
Selected scores:
-5 after 15 Justin Rose (69 67).
-1 after 16 Martin Laird (72 72).